Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, Oglala, South Dakota, USA
Oglala youths hold an inverted flag as a symbol of defiance, to commemorate a 1975 shoot-out between American Indian Movement (AIM) activists and the FBI, in which two agents and one AIM member died.
The Oglala Lakota people of the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota live near the site of the massacre of over 250 Lakota Sioux, at Wounded Knee Creek (1890). They recount a long history of violated treaties and broken promises on the part of successive US governments. In 1980, after the longest-running court case in US history, the US Supreme Court ruled that the Black Hills territory, land sacred to the Sioux, had been seized illegally after gold was discovered there in 1874. The court awarded a compensation payment of US$ 106 million, but the Sioux refused the money and demanded return of the lands.
Today, Pine ridge is one of the poorest parts of the US, with unemployment in places reaching 90 percent, and a male life expectancy of 48. Pine Ridge is seeing an upsurge in resistance movements, and a revival of traditional spiritual ways. The sun dance has returned, after nearly disappearing, and people are teaching language, horse skills, and ceremonies to the youth.

for National Geographic magazine

Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, Oglala, South Dakota, USA
Oglala youths hold an inverted flag as a symbol of defiance, to commemorate a 1975 shoot-out between American Indian Movement (AIM) activists and the FBI, in which two agents and one AIM member died.
The Oglala Lakota people of the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota live near the site of the massacre of over 250 Lakota Sioux, at Wounded Knee Creek (1890). They recount a long history of violated treaties and broken promises on the part of successive US governments. In 1980, after the longest-running court case in US history, the US Supreme Court ruled that the Black Hills territory, land sacred to the Sioux, had been seized illegally after gold was discovered there in 1874. The court awarded a compensation payment of US$ 106 million, but the Sioux refused the money and demanded return of the lands.
Today, Pine ridge is one of the poorest parts of the US, with unemployment in places reaching 90 percent, and a male life expectancy of 48. Pine Ridge is seeing an upsurge in resistance movements, and a revival of traditional spiritual ways. The sun dance has returned, after nearly disappearing, and people are teaching language, horse skills, and ceremonies to the youth.

Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, Oglala, South Dakota, USA
Stanley Good Voice Elk burns sage to purify his surroundings. He is a heyoka, a recipient of sacred visions. Heyokas employ clownish speech and behavior to spark spiritual awareness. Through his mask, Good Voice Elk channels the power of an inherited spirit, which transforms him into Spider Respects Nothing.
The Oglala Lakota people of the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota live near the site of the massacre of over 250 Lakota Sioux, at Wounded Knee Creek (1890). They recount a long history of violated treaties and broken promises on the part of successive US governments. Pine Ridge is seeing an upsurge in resistance movements, and a revival of traditional spiritual ways. The sun dance has returned, after nearly disappearing, and people are teaching language, horse skills, and ceremonies to the youth.

for National Geographic magazine

Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, Oglala, South Dakota, USA
Stanley Good Voice Elk burns sage to purify his surroundings. He is a heyoka, a recipient of sacred visions. Heyokas employ clownish speech and behavior to spark spiritual awareness. Through his mask, Good Voice Elk channels the power of an inherited spirit, which transforms him into Spider Respects Nothing.
The Oglala Lakota people of the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota live near the site of the massacre of over 250 Lakota Sioux, at Wounded Knee Creek (1890). They recount a long history of violated treaties and broken promises on the part of successive US governments. Pine Ridge is seeing an upsurge in resistance movements, and a revival of traditional spiritual ways. The sun dance has returned, after nearly disappearing, and people are teaching language, horse skills, and ceremonies to the youth.

Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, Oglala, South Dakota, USA
Bareback riders Carey Rouillard (left) and Travis New Holy stop for a chat in Evergreen, in the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, South Dakota. In reservation communities, the horse is more important than ever, both for transportation and to connect people to their warrior roots. The Oglala have a traditional reverence for the horse, which they call sunka wakan, or sacred dog.
The Oglala Lakota people of the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota live near the site of the massacre of over 250 Lakota Sioux, at Wounded Knee Creek (1890). They recount a long history of violated treaties and broken promises on the part of successive US governments. Pine Ridge is seeing an upsurge in resistance movements, and a revival of traditional spiritual ways. The sun dance has returned, after nearly disappearing, and people are teaching language, horse skills, and ceremonies to the youth.

for National Geographic magazine

Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, Oglala, South Dakota, USA
Bareback riders Carey Rouillard (left) and Travis New Holy stop for a chat in Evergreen, in the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, South Dakota. In reservation communities, the horse is more important than ever, both for transportation and to connect people to their warrior roots. The Oglala have a traditional reverence for the horse, which they call sunka wakan, or sacred dog.
The Oglala Lakota people of the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota live near the site of the massacre of over 250 Lakota Sioux, at Wounded Knee Creek (1890). They recount a long history of violated treaties and broken promises on the part of successive US governments. Pine Ridge is seeing an upsurge in resistance movements, and a revival of traditional spiritual ways. The sun dance has returned, after nearly disappearing, and people are teaching language, horse skills, and ceremonies to the youth.

Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, Oglala, South Dakota, USA
Three-year-old C.J. Shot bathes in the sink, in a three-bedroom house that is home to 22 people. The Oglala concept of tiospaye, or the unity of the extended family, means that homes are often overcrowded, especially with the severe housing shortage on the reservation.
The Oglala Lakota people of the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota live near the site of the massacre of over 250 Lakota Sioux, at Wounded Knee Creek (1890). They recount a long history of violated treaties and broken promises on the part of successive US governments. In 1980, after the longest-running court case in US history, the US Supreme Court ruled that the Black Hills territory, land sacred to the Sioux, had been seized illegally after gold was discovered there in 1874. The court awarded a compensation payment of US$ 106 million, but the Sioux refused the money and demanded return of the lands.
Today, Pine ridge is one of the poorest parts of the US, with unemployment in places reaching 90 percent, and a male life expectancy of 48. Pine Ridge is seeing an upsurge in resistance movements, and a revival of traditional spiritual ways. The sun dance has returned, after nearly disappearing, and people are teaching language, horse skills, and ceremonies to the youth.

for National Geographic magazine

Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, Oglala, South Dakota, USA
Three-year-old C.J. Shot bathes in the sink, in a three-bedroom house that is home to 22 people. The Oglala concept of tiospaye, or the unity of the extended family, means that homes are often overcrowded, especially with the severe housing shortage on the reservation.
The Oglala Lakota people of the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota live near the site of the massacre of over 250 Lakota Sioux, at Wounded Knee Creek (1890). They recount a long history of violated treaties and broken promises on the part of successive US governments. In 1980, after the longest-running court case in US history, the US Supreme Court ruled that the Black Hills territory, land sacred to the Sioux, had been seized illegally after gold was discovered there in 1874. The court awarded a compensation payment of US$ 106 million, but the Sioux refused the money and demanded return of the lands.
Today, Pine ridge is one of the poorest parts of the US, with unemployment in places reaching 90 percent, and a male life expectancy of 48. Pine Ridge is seeing an upsurge in resistance movements, and a revival of traditional spiritual ways. The sun dance has returned, after nearly disappearing, and people are teaching language, horse skills, and ceremonies to the youth.

Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, Oglala, South Dakota, USA
Youths disregard the threat of a summer storm, in the town of Wounded Knee, South Dakota.
The Oglala Lakota people of the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota live near the site of the massacre of over 250 Lakota Sioux, at Wounded Knee Creek (1890). They recount a long history of violated treaties and broken promises on the part of successive US governments. Pine Ridge is seeing an upsurge in resistance movements, and a revival of traditional spiritual ways. The sun dance has returned, after nearly disappearing, and people are teaching language, horse skills, and ceremonies to the youth.

for National Geographic magazine

Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, Oglala, South Dakota, USA
Youths disregard the threat of a summer storm, in the town of Wounded Knee, South Dakota.
The Oglala Lakota people of the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota live near the site of the massacre of over 250 Lakota Sioux, at Wounded Knee Creek (1890). They recount a long history of violated treaties and broken promises on the part of successive US governments. Pine Ridge is seeing an upsurge in resistance movements, and a revival of traditional spiritual ways. The sun dance has returned, after nearly disappearing, and people are teaching language, horse skills, and ceremonies to the youth.

Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, Oglala, South Dakota, USA
A passenger barely has room for the journey home, after collecting used clothing donated by a charity.
The Oglala Lakota people of the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota live near the site of the massacre of over 250 Lakota Sioux, at Wounded Knee Creek (1890). They recount a long history of violated treaties and broken promises on the part of successive US governments. In 1980, after the longest-running court case in US history, the US Supreme Court ruled that the Black Hills territory, land sacred to the Sioux, had been seized illegally after gold was discovered there in 1874. The court awarded a compensation payment of US$ 106 million, but the Sioux refused the money and demanded return of the lands.
Today, Pine ridge is one of the poorest parts of the US, with unemployment in places reaching 90 percent, and a male life expectancy of 48. Pine Ridge is seeing an upsurge in resistance movements, and a revival of traditional spiritual ways. The sun dance has returned, after nearly disappearing, and people are teaching language, horse skills, and ceremonies to the youth.

for National Geographic magazine

Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, Oglala, South Dakota, USA
A passenger barely has room for the journey home, after collecting used clothing donated by a charity.
The Oglala Lakota people of the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota live near the site of the massacre of over 250 Lakota Sioux, at Wounded Knee Creek (1890). They recount a long history of violated treaties and broken promises on the part of successive US governments. In 1980, after the longest-running court case in US history, the US Supreme Court ruled that the Black Hills territory, land sacred to the Sioux, had been seized illegally after gold was discovered there in 1874. The court awarded a compensation payment of US$ 106 million, but the Sioux refused the money and demanded return of the lands.
Today, Pine ridge is one of the poorest parts of the US, with unemployment in places reaching 90 percent, and a male life expectancy of 48. Pine Ridge is seeing an upsurge in resistance movements, and a revival of traditional spiritual ways. The sun dance has returned, after nearly disappearing, and people are teaching language, horse skills, and ceremonies to the youth.

Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, Oglala, South Dakota, USA
A young man, suffering from the effects of a neurological disease and alcoholism, sleeps in the living-room of his home, nearly 10 km from the nearest town.
The Oglala Lakota people of the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota live near the site of the massacre of over 250 Lakota Sioux, at Wounded Knee Creek (1890). They recount a long history of violated treaties and broken promises on the part of successive US governments. In 1980, after the longest-running court case in US history, the US Supreme Court ruled that the Black Hills territory, land sacred to the Sioux, had been seized illegally after gold was discovered there in 1874. The court awarded a compensation payment of US$ 106 million, but the Sioux refused the money and demanded return of the lands.
Today, Pine ridge is one of the poorest parts of the US, with unemployment in places reaching 90 percent, and a male life expectancy of 48. Pine Ridge is seeing an upsurge in resistance movements, and a revival of traditional spiritual ways. The sun dance has returned, after nearly disappearing, and people are teaching language, horse skills, and ceremonies to the youth.

for National Geographic magazine

Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, Oglala, South Dakota, USA
A young man, suffering from the effects of a neurological disease and alcoholism, sleeps in the living-room of his home, nearly 10 km from the nearest town.
The Oglala Lakota people of the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota live near the site of the massacre of over 250 Lakota Sioux, at Wounded Knee Creek (1890). They recount a long history of violated treaties and broken promises on the part of successive US governments. In 1980, after the longest-running court case in US history, the US Supreme Court ruled that the Black Hills territory, land sacred to the Sioux, had been seized illegally after gold was discovered there in 1874. The court awarded a compensation payment of US$ 106 million, but the Sioux refused the money and demanded return of the lands.
Today, Pine ridge is one of the poorest parts of the US, with unemployment in places reaching 90 percent, and a male life expectancy of 48. Pine Ridge is seeing an upsurge in resistance movements, and a revival of traditional spiritual ways. The sun dance has returned, after nearly disappearing, and people are teaching language, horse skills, and ceremonies to the youth.

Chadron, Nebraska, USA
An Oglala Lakota horseback rider, on the Crazy Horse Ride in Nebraska, travels from Chadron to the Crazy Horse camp at Beaver Wall, to commemorate the life and death of the great Lakota war leader.
The Oglala Lakota people of the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota live near the site of the massacre of over 250 Lakota Sioux, at Wounded Knee Creek (1890). They recount a long history of violated treaties and broken promises on the part of successive US governments. Pine Ridge is seeing an upsurge in resistance movements, and a revival of traditional spiritual ways. The sun dance has returned, after nearly disappearing, and people are teaching language, horse skills, and ceremonies to the youth.

for National Geographic magazine

Chadron, Nebraska, USA
An Oglala Lakota horseback rider, on the Crazy Horse Ride in Nebraska, travels from Chadron to the Crazy Horse camp at Beaver Wall, to commemorate the life and death of the great Lakota war leader.
The Oglala Lakota people of the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota live near the site of the massacre of over 250 Lakota Sioux, at Wounded Knee Creek (1890). They recount a long history of violated treaties and broken promises on the part of successive US governments. Pine Ridge is seeing an upsurge in resistance movements, and a revival of traditional spiritual ways. The sun dance has returned, after nearly disappearing, and people are teaching language, horse skills, and ceremonies to the youth.

Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, Oglala, South Dakota, USA
After intense communication with the spirits, participants emerge from a steaming Inipi, or purification (sweat) lodge.
The Oglala Lakota people of the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota live near the site of the massacre of over 250 Lakota Sioux, at Wounded Knee Creek (1890). They recount a long history of violated treaties and broken promises on the part of successive US governments. Pine Ridge is seeing an upsurge in resistance movements, and a revival of traditional spiritual ways. The sun dance has returned, after nearly disappearing, and people are teaching language, horse skills, and ceremonies to the youth.

for National Geographic magazine

Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, Oglala, South Dakota, USA
After intense communication with the spirits, participants emerge from a steaming Inipi, or purification (sweat) lodge.
The Oglala Lakota people of the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota live near the site of the massacre of over 250 Lakota Sioux, at Wounded Knee Creek (1890). They recount a long history of violated treaties and broken promises on the part of successive US governments. Pine Ridge is seeing an upsurge in resistance movements, and a revival of traditional spiritual ways. The sun dance has returned, after nearly disappearing, and people are teaching language, horse skills, and ceremonies to the youth.

Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, Oglala, South Dakota, USA
Oglala men carry a felled cottonwood tree to the center of a sun dance circle. Erected in the earth, the tree will become the focus of a four-day spiritual ceremony.
The Oglala Lakota people of the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota live near the site of the massacre of over 250 Lakota Sioux, at Wounded Knee Creek (1890). They recount a long history of violated treaties and broken promises on the part of successive US governments. Pine Ridge is seeing an upsurge in resistance movements, and a revival of traditional spiritual ways. The sun dance has returned, after nearly disappearing, and people are teaching language, horse skills, and ceremonies to the youth.

for National Geographic magazine

Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, Oglala, South Dakota, USA
Oglala men carry a felled cottonwood tree to the center of a sun dance circle. Erected in the earth, the tree will become the focus of a four-day spiritual ceremony.
The Oglala Lakota people of the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota live near the site of the massacre of over 250 Lakota Sioux, at Wounded Knee Creek (1890). They recount a long history of violated treaties and broken promises on the part of successive US governments. Pine Ridge is seeing an upsurge in resistance movements, and a revival of traditional spiritual ways. The sun dance has returned, after nearly disappearing, and people are teaching language, horse skills, and ceremonies to the youth.

Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, Oglala, South Dakota, USA
Lyle Le Beaux, of the traditionally minded Thunder Valley community of Oglala Lakota, bears scars on his chest that come from sacred piercings, made during sun dance ceremonies. Participants hang from the sun dance tree until their skin breaks. This symbolic death transports them into visions, and is used to heal the community.
The Oglala Lakota people of the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota live near the site of the massacre of over 250 Lakota Sioux, at Wounded Knee Creek (1890). They recount a long history of violated treaties and broken promises on the part of successive US governments. Pine Ridge is seeing an upsurge in resistance movements, and a revival of traditional spiritual ways. The sun dance has returned, after nearly disappearing, and people are teaching language, horse skills, and ceremonies to the youth.

for National Geographic magazine

Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, Oglala, South Dakota, USA
Lyle Le Beaux, of the traditionally minded Thunder Valley community of Oglala Lakota, bears scars on his chest that come from sacred piercings, made during sun dance ceremonies. Participants hang from the sun dance tree until their skin breaks. This symbolic death transports them into visions, and is used to heal the community.
The Oglala Lakota people of the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota live near the site of the massacre of over 250 Lakota Sioux, at Wounded Knee Creek (1890). They recount a long history of violated treaties and broken promises on the part of successive US governments. Pine Ridge is seeing an upsurge in resistance movements, and a revival of traditional spiritual ways. The sun dance has returned, after nearly disappearing, and people are teaching language, horse skills, and ceremonies to the youth.

Devil’s Tower, Wyoming, USA
Wakinyan Two Bulls (9) places prayer flags in a tree, near Mato Tipila (Devil’s Tower), a place of Oglala ceremony in Wyoming.
The Oglala Lakota people of the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota live near the site of the massacre of over 250 Lakota Sioux, at Wounded Knee Creek (1890). They recount a long history of violated treaties and broken promises on the part of successive US governments. Pine Ridge is seeing an upsurge in resistance movements, and a revival of traditional spiritual ways. The sun dance has returned, after nearly disappearing, and people are teaching language, horse skills, and ceremonies to the youth.

for National Geographic magazine

Devil’s Tower, Wyoming, USA
Wakinyan Two Bulls (9) places prayer flags in a tree, near Mato Tipila (Devil’s Tower), a place of Oglala ceremony in Wyoming.
The Oglala Lakota people of the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota live near the site of the massacre of over 250 Lakota Sioux, at Wounded Knee Creek (1890). They recount a long history of violated treaties and broken promises on the part of successive US governments. Pine Ridge is seeing an upsurge in resistance movements, and a revival of traditional spiritual ways. The sun dance has returned, after nearly disappearing, and people are teaching language, horse skills, and ceremonies to the youth.

In the Shadow of Wounded Knee

Oglala youths hold an inverted flag as a symbol of defiance, to commemorate a 1975 shoot-out between American Indian Movement (AIM) activists and the FBI, in which two agents and one AIM member died.

The Oglala Lakota people of the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota live near the site of the massacre of over 250 Lakota Sioux, at Wounded Knee Creek (1890). They recount a long history of violated treaties and broken promises on the part of successive US governments. In 1980, after the longest-running court case in US history, the US Supreme Court ruled that the Black Hills territory, land sacred to the Sioux, had been seized illegally after gold was discovered there in 1874. The court awarded a compensation payment of US$ 106 million, but the Sioux refused the money and demanded return of the lands.

Today, Pine ridge is one of the poorest parts of the US, with unemployment in places reaching 90 percent, and a male life expectancy of 48. Pine Ridge is seeing an upsurge in resistance movements, and a revival of traditional spiritual ways. The sun dance has returned, after nearly disappearing, and people are teaching language, horse skills, and ceremonies to the youth.

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Aaron Huey

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About the photographer

Aaron Huey

Aaron Huey is a National Geographic photographer, and a Harper’s Magazine contributing editor. He is only the second photographer to occupy the Harper’s masthead in its 162-year history. Huey was a 2012 Stanford Knight Journalism Fellow, where he worked on new media models for community storytelling. He is widely known for his 3,349-mile solo walk across America (with his dog Cosmo). The 2002 journey lasted 154 days. There was no media coverage; they walked every step. He now lives in Seattle, USA.

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